Sports

Three-Point Stance: Righting The Ship In West Muskingum

Editor’s Note: Three-Point Stance is Gridiron Glory’s written preview series leading up to its 15th season on WOUB. Gridiron is visiting training camps for all 32 teams in the coverage area as they prepare for the 2013 football season. The series continues in the MVL, where competition is always high from top to bottom.

The past few seasons have been tough for West Muskingum.

After going winless in 2012, the Tornadoes are looking to get back on the winning track in 2013.

Here are three things to know about the 2013 West Muskingum Tornadoes:

1. Started From the Bottom

Coming off of a season where his team finished at the bottom of the MVL and had an average margin of defeat of 47 points to league foes, head coach Jeremy Katchem has shown some optimism for the upcoming campaign.

“We’re pretty young, but we have a lot of heart,” Katchem says. “We have some speed and we are pretty smart.”

The young roster faces a tough test playing in the MVL, which has given Gridiron Glory some of its best football over the years. Look for a group of fresh, new faces to try and lead the Tornadoes out of the MVL basement.

2. Three-Way Players on the Field

As a team with fewer numbers than most, those who do step onto the field will be ready to compete on Friday nights for every week of the season. Many of the same faces will be playing the trifecta this year: offense, defense and special teams. This can lead to some long games for those starters, so conditioning will be another key aspect for the Tornadoes as they prep for Week One.

“(We need to work on) conditioning and being in shape,” Katchem says. “We don’t have a lot of players, so many play both ways and on special teams. We need to be in good physical shape as well as mentally being ready to go.”

3. Growing Up Fast

Leadership will be key this year, and most of that leadership will come from underclassmen. The Tornadoes hope that their younger players will grow up fast, as a rough stretch in the middle of the season features road game matchups against the top two teams from the league last season, Maysville and Tri-Valley, both of whom qualified for the state playoffs in 2012. Katchem is pleased with the development of his younger players so far.

“(The underclassmen) have stepped up quite well, and some of them have several starts under their belts already,” he says.

Experience will help boost a squad that has only won two games the last three years since its state playoff appearance in 2009.

West Muskingum heads right into the gauntlet from the start of the season with seven straight games against league opponents. The Tornadoes open their season at home against Philo on Aug. 30.

Follow @gridironglory on Twitter and Instagram and Like the Gridiron Glory Facebook page for continued coverage throughout the preseason. Gridiron Glory returns Friday, Aug. 23 at 11:30 p.m. on WOUB.